University of British Columbia Fellowships 2027 in Canada (Funded)

About the fellowships

The University of British Columbia (UBC) funds its doctoral students through a family of fellowships, not a single award, and the flagship is the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF). From September 2026 it provides $24,000 in stipend funding plus tuition per year, for up to four years — up from $18,200 — to outstanding domestic and international doctoral students. It is UBC’s base-level funding: stable, four-year support that lets the university attract strong PhD candidates in every discipline.

The unusual part is the application: there is normally no separate 4YF application. You apply for admission to a UBC graduate programme, and every admitted PhD, DMA or MD/PhD applicant is automatically considered. Each programme gets a limited allocation and nominates its strongest candidates, with incoming students generally receiving priority — so the admission application is doing double duty, and the real deadline is your programme’s admission deadline. Around the 4YF sit the International Doctoral Fellowship ($30,000 a year plus tuition), the International Tuition Award (up to $3,200 a year), the Affiliated Fellowships (about 50 awards a year, most around $16,000, including the Killam Doctoral Scholarships) and the postdoctoral Schmidt Science Fellowship ($110,000 a year, UBC-nominated).

Eligibility

• Be a PhD, DMA or MD/PhD student at UBC — domestic or international; there is no nationality restriction for the 4YF.
• The 4YF is mainly aimed at students beginning their first year of full-time doctoral study, although continuing students can sometimes receive an award.
• Selection is by academic excellence — academic record, research preparation, proposed project, references and fit with the graduate programme.
• Each graduate programme receives a limited allocation and nominates its strongest candidates; incoming students generally receive priority.
• For the Schmidt Science Fellowship: hold or be nearing completion of a PhD in computer science, engineering or the natural sciences, and be nominated by UBC.
• For the Affiliated Fellowships: meet the eligibility requirements of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D) competition; priority goes to candidates without significant scholarship funding (at least $16,000) for 2027/28.

Benefits

• Four Year Doctoral Fellowship: $24,000 a year in stipend plus tuition, for up to 4 years.
• International Doctoral Fellowship: $30,000 stipend plus tuition for 4 years, plus a minimum $18,000 package in year 5.
• International Tuition Award: up to $3,200 a year toward international tuition fees.
• Affiliated Fellowships: about 50 awards a year, $175–$40,000 (most around $16,000), including the Killam Doctoral Scholarships for top candidates.
• Schmidt Science Fellowship (postdoctoral): $110,000 a year for at least one year, plus residential meetings and leadership training.
• Note that the 4YF tuition component is a tuition award applied against charges, not a waiver, and it is reduced if external funding plus the tuition award would exceed $35,000.

Documents to prepare

• Your UBC graduate programme admission application — this is the fellowship application too, for the 4YF.
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates.
• References and a research proposal, as required by your programme.
• Note that there is normally no separate 4YF form — the programme’s admission documents are what the fellowship decision is made on.
• For the Schmidt Science Fellowship, UBC nominates candidates — check with your department about the internal nomination process.

How to apply

1. Choose a UBC graduate programme and check its admission requirements and deadline — the 4YF deadline is set by each programme.
2. Apply for admission to the programme (commonly cited deadlines: 15 November 2026 for a January 2027 start, 15 March 2027 for May 2027, 1 June 2027 for September 2027).
3. You are automatically considered for 4YF funding — no separate fellowship form is normally needed.
4. Your programme nominates its strongest candidates to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
5. For the Schmidt Science Fellowship, ask your department about UBC’s internal nomination — the expected deadline is April 2027, subject to official announcement.

FAQs

Verified 26 Oct 2026: grad.ubc.ca/awards/four-year-doctoral-fellowship-4yf (official UBC Graduate School page, opened and read) — $24,000 stipend plus full tuition per year, up to 4 years, effective September 2026, deadline set by each UBC graduate programme, Canadian / permanent resident / international citizenship, doctoral level; grad.ubc.ca award opportunities list — Affiliated Fellowships Master's 1 December 2026 before 5:00 pm PT, approximately 50 awards a year; DAADScholarship.com — 4YF admission deadlines 15 November 2026 (January 2027 start), 15 March 2027 (May 2027), 1 June 2027 (September 2027), automatic consideration on admission; ScholarshipForPhD / Universities.NSPScholarships — Schmidt Science Fellowship $110,000/year, deadline April 2027; AfterSchoolAfrica — Affiliated Fellowships doctoral deadline 15 September 2026 (passed), $175–$40,000, most around $16,000, Killam Doctoral Scholarships through the same competition. CORRECTION: "UBC Fellowships 2027" is not a single scheme with one deadline — it is a family of awards, and this article leads with the 4YF. NOT USED as open: the Affiliated Fellowships doctoral deadline (15 September 2026, passed). The 15 November 2026 / 15 March 2027 / 1 June 2027 dates are aggregator-cited admission deadlines — the official 4YF page says the deadline is set by each graduate programme, so readers are told to confirm their programme's date.